A chancellor has voided a previous judgment for a former Wilson County car repair shop owner to pay nearly $10,000 to an insurance company in a case that got him arrested.

Jonathan Schmitt was ordered to pay $9,945 to EMC Insurance Cos. in a 2015 court judgment as the registered agent of a now dissolved towing company.

Schmitt is also the former owner of A Plus Auto Repair on Lebanon Road. He filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit that alleges a negative social media attack put him out of business. That case is still in litigation.

Jonathan Schmitt(Photo11: Submitted)

Schmitt was arrested in September 2017 after he missed court dates in May 2016 and January 2017 related to the judgment that ordered him to pay the insurance company.

Schmitt maintains the towing company never used EMC Insurance and he was never aware of the judgment or related hearings that got him arrested.

Chancellor C.K. Smith ruled that Schmitt was not properly served due process and voided the judgment to pay the insurance company.

There is a 30-day window from Jan. 29 for an appeal to be filed by either side, according to Circuit Court Clerk Debbie Moss.

Notices sent to inaccurate addresses, a defective warrant that didn’t comply with state law and a physical description that didn't match Schmitt were cited by his attorney, Bryant Kroll, as examples Schmitt was not "personally served with process," he said.

“It is terrifying to think that a citizen could be arrested for failing to appear in a civil case which they never even knew existed years after the case had been filed,” Kroll said.

Schmitt described “relief” after the ruling. A $500 bond Schmitt was issued when he was arrested will be returned, according to Kroll.

Cyberbullying case

Schmitt filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in February 2017 that accuses David Deckard of creating a Facebook page for the purpose of destroying Schmitt’s A Plus Auto Repair.

Deckard filed a countersuit that alleges Schmitt owes money from the sale of A & J Towing in November 2013.

The Facebook page, billed as "Public Service Announcements for A+ Automotive A.K.A. Jonathan Schmitt," grew to more than 1,000 members.

Schmitt said the posts turned the community against him, and he cited a dramatic drop in business. Schmitt closed A Plus Auto Repair in July 2017.

Deckard's position was that his posts were valid and should be public knowledge, he said after the lawsuit was filed.

The lawsuits are still in the discovery process, Deckard’s attorney, Christopher Beauchamp, said.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @AndyHumbles.